Eyes and Chessboards
by Vinyl Scarecrow
Summary: A distraught human who's only help in life are his friends wakes up in a strange new place. He makes new friends, finds a job and home, and tries to live a life better than his old one. His own past losses let him help some troubled ponies, and he helps them come out of hiding. Rated M for violence, adult language and themes.
1. Chapter 1

**This is a self insert story that I am writing for my enjoyment, and yours. When writing it, I try to picture myself living the life of the main character, and to enjoy the experiences that he enjoys, in my mind. I will admit that there is very little editing, it is more of a record of my mental adventures than a story. Please enjoy this story, and if you don't like a part of it, go ahead and tell me. There is swearing, violence, drinking, and other adult themes here.**

**Reviews are very appreciated!**

* * *

I rose slowly out of my slumber. I tiredly pried my eyelids open, and my vision was flooded with sunlight. I could feel grass against my back, and I realized that I was outside. I tried to push myself up with my arms, but they slipped out from under me, and I collapsed. I rolled over onto my stomach, and looked at the matted grass under me. 'Weird,' I thought. The grass here is much greener than it is back at Washington.

It was then that I noticed my hands. Or, more specifically, hooves. It seems that my entire hands had disappeared, and were replaced by stumpy hooves. I also noticed that my skin was now a colorful grey hide, and I had an orange mane and tail. 'Ohh shit' I thought, and leaped to my feet. On instinct, I tried to jump to my back two legs, but I toppled over backwards. Panicking, I sat down on my bottom and clutched my knees, and rocked backwards a little.

'This is not happening… This is not happening…'

I clenched my jaw, and shut my eyes, and when I opened them, everything was still the same.

I thought back onto what I can remember from yesterday. I can recall getting drunk again, and then stumbling out of a bar that I frequent and into the street. The rest of my memory was blank, I must have wandered off in my drunken stupor. But that still doesn't explain how I am now a horse! 'Maybe I'm still drunk.' I tried to stand up, and this time managed to rise to two legs.

Looking around me, I saw tall grass in all directions, with the occasional tree protruding from the grass. I decided to try and get to the nearest one and climb up to get a better view of my surroundings. As I began to stumble forward, I tripped over something.

It was a chessboard. MY chessboard. That's odd, I had left it at my apartment before I went off drinking. I had no idea as to how it must have gotten here, as I had by now decided that some crazy shit must have happened to me after I got drunk, because I could not come up with any explanation as to how I was a horse. Scattered near the chessboard were my chess pieces. I grabbed them all and put them into a drawer that was in the chessboard. I held the chessboard with one hoof and began walking towards the nearest tree, pushing grass out of the way with my other hoof. To be honest, I felt silly being a horse and walking on two legs, but I was too used being human to try and get used to walking on four legs.

This chess board was very important to me. It was my only tie to my old life, before I moved out, and travelled to Washington. I used to play chess with my friends, who were smart and kind. I played with my parents, my grandparents, and my cousins. When I turned 18, I said goodbye to my family, and moved to Washington from Canada. Then, everything went downhill when I realized I couldn't manage without my family or friends. I managed to make some new friends after attending a chess tournament at the library that was near my apartment. They provided me some support, and I did a little better, getting a job at said library. You see, I am very reliant on support from others. When I am put into a new place, without friends or family, I begin to break down. Chess helps meet new friends, so I hope my chessboard could help me out now. Unfortunately, the place I am at right now looks desolate.

I could feel my chest tightening. I started to run towards the tree, anything to get out of this desolate place. I reached it, and began to scramble up, branch by branch, by wrapping my grey arms around them and hoisting myself up. After I got a good height off the ground, I held on to branch and surveyed the horizon. This time, I could see what looked like a farm in the distance.

I was overjoyed. Living beings! Hopefully someone who could help me out, and help me find my way back. I began to run towards the farm, holding my arm in front of me to keep the tall grass from whipping me in the face.

I suppose that while I am running I should explain as to what happened after I met some friends and got a job. I held the job for a while, maybe half a year or so. Then, I got laid off. Damn the recession! I struggled to make money, and could barely pay the rent, let alone get food. I still managed to make the most of it, going to the library three times a week to meet strangers and play chess with them, after which I would ask them for money. It was degrading, but I got more money than I would get through begging. I exercised often, and stayed fit. My friends invited me over often, for which I was grateful. I suppose that I fared better than many others. About three weeks ago, I developed a drinking problem, which many of my friends tried to help me with, but gave up after I stubbornly held on. I began to go to the library to play chess less often, and frequented the bar. I sold many things to afford liquor, but never my chessboard. That chessboard had helped me through the years, and I hoped that it would somehow help me now.

After a while of running, I arrived at the farm, panting and sweating.

"Help! Is anyone there?" I shouted, hoping that someone could help me. I shouted again, and my throat began to feel sore. Just as my chest began to tighten in panic, I heard a southern accented voice respond.

"Hello? Is someone calling?"

My heart skipped a beat, and I walked over to a fence that separated me from a large apple tree grove. From the grove walked a female orange pony with a pale blond mane. On her head rested a worn brown cowboy hat. I was taken back, as I expected a human. I was not as surprised to see that she could talk, as I had also just spoken a moment before.

"Hello, mah name is Applejack, an' welcome to Sweet Apple Acres. How can ah help you?"

Her green eyes stared at me curiously. She blinked once, and tilted her head.

"Hi, I, um, woke up over there, and was wondering if you knew where I could find a nearby town, or city, or something."

"Ah'd be glad to help you, mister. Ponyville's an hour away from here if you go down that path there."

The Applejack pony then noticed something that confused her.

"If you don't mind mah asking, mister, but why don't you have a cutie mark?"

I responded, confused. "A what now?"

"How can you not kn-you know, one of these-" She gestured to an image to three red apples on her flank. I turned my head around, and looked at my own flank in turn. There was nothing on my side, just purple skin.

"I dunno, how would I get one?"

Applejack tilted her head quizzically, and asked me, "Just where are you from mister? Are there other ponies like you?"

I wondered why a lack of a "cutie mark" was such a big deal.

"I-I just woke up in that field over there," I gestured with my hoof, "I have no idea how I got there."

"Huh. You should go see mah friend Twilight in Ponyville, if that's where you're heading."

I thanked here, and told her that I would make sure to, and began to leave, when Applejack called out to me again.

"Wait, mister, ah wanted to ask you something!" I turned around, still standing on my hind legs.

"Why are you walking like that?" She asked, confounded. I looked down at my legs, and understood as to why she would find that weird.

"I, um, got used to walking like this," I responded, and was about to start walking again, when she asked me something else.

"Hey mister, I didn't catch your name!"

I turned around again.

"My name is Chance Ransom."


	2. Chapter 2

"Alright then Chance, pleasant journey!" Applejack said, and I responded in kind, "Thank you for your help Applejack!" I waved goodbye and began to walk down the path she had said lead to Ponyville.

I felt better now that I knew where civilization was, although I admit I was hoping that Ponyville wasn't full of talking ponies, and that there would be people who could help me out. I suppose there was a plus to this little adventure I was having, walking along the path, and whistling a tune to myself, as it distracted me from my troubles back home.

Speaking of troubles back home, I now realized how much I craved a drink. A light beer might help me get fully enraptured in this walk to Ponyville, because I felt that I really needed to just take a break from it all. The constant worrying about finding a job and when my next meal would be was very stressful, and wore me down. Now, I felt rejuvenated, breathing the fresh air and seeing the field of tall grass to the right of me rippling in the wind was very calming. The forest to the left of me was alight with the singing of birds; their melodies helping me lose myself in the sensation. 'That's it,' I thought. 'When I get back, I'm going to take a walk through the park twice-no, three times a week, and I'm going to start playing chess at the library again.'

My thoughts were interrupted when something caught my eye. An envelope had gotten stuck in the branches of a tree, its white color barely standing out among the bright green of the tree. I grabbed it with my hoof and looked at it. It was sent to a certain Mr. Carrot Cake. I wondered as to how it got stuck in that tree, and tucked it into the compartment in my chess board before continuing on my journey. Another thirty minutes passed before I finally saw rooftops in the distance.

I was overjoyed. I pushed myself to run faster, so I could get there faster. I passed a sign that told me that Ponyville was up ahead, and I redoubled my efforts. As I neared the outskirts of Ponyville, I became disappointed when I saw all the colorful ponies milling around, instead of the humans I had hoped to see.

I slowed down and kneeled, panting. I could feel my mane damp with sweat. I stood up again after catching my breath, right as a cotton-candy pink pony slammed directly into my chest.

"OhhmygoodnessI'msosorryIdidn'tseeyouthereareyouokay?" the female pony spoke quickly. I barely understood her, as I was dazed from the collision. "What?" I asked, rubbing my chest. "I asked if you were okay I'm so sorry I crashed into you I was just galloping so fast and I didn't see you." She said, this time slower. Suddenly, her eyes went wide. "Ohmigosh are you new here?"

I replied yes, and she shrieked in joy. "Yaaaay! Now I can throw you my super duper Pinkie Pie welcome party! This will be so fun!" Then, she gasped, and ran off towards Ponyville, shouting, "I have to start preparing right away!" 'What an odd pony,' I thought. 'She never even asked my name, or told me hers.'

I stood back up onto my hind legs and walked towards Ponyville. When I arrived, I saw lots of buildings, with ponies going about their business. I noticed that they were all doing things that I expected of a human, but not of a pony, like eating at restaurants, or buying things from stores. When I had entered the town, ponies started staring at me, and I realized that it was because I was walking on my hind legs. Embarrassed, I lowered myself down, so that I stood on all four legs. Some ponies still stared, and whispered to their friends, but most returned to what they were doing.

At this point, I was wondering what my next course of action should be. I considered trying to find an apartment or something, but then I realized that I didn't have any money. I suppose that I should go find a job. I prayed that the economy here was better than back in Washington. I walked up to an elderly, yellow pony with an orange mane, wearing a bowtie. "Excuse me sir, but do you know where I could find a job?" I asked him. "Ah, you're new here aren't you? If you need a job, you should go ask around town, or you could go see the mayor." "Yes, alright, I'll do that. Thank you sir!" He nodded, and resumed his work.

I then made my way to the mayor's, after asking someone as to where she was. I arrived at a large building, and entered it (Making sure to walk on four legs, as uncomfortable as it was). Inside, I saw a tan-colored mare with a grey mane. She didn't notice me enter the building, as she was busy with some papers. I coughed to get her attention. "Oh? And who might you be? I have not seen you in town, are you visiting?" She asked me, and put down her quill. "Um, I was actually hoping to know if there was any chance of me finding a job here." "Oh, so you plan on staying on Ponyville? Well that's fantastic! I'm sure Pinkie will be overjoyed." The Mayor seemed genuinely happy to see a new face. "Um, who's Pinkie?" I asked her, and thought back to that pink mare that had run into me. "You haven't met her yet? She has an uncanny sense of when a new pony is in town." I then asked her once again if there were any job openings, as the conversation had strayed away from my initial question. "Oh! Right, about the job. Well, let's see now…" The Mayor pony rubbed her chin and squinted, thinking. "Well, there are a number of jobs open." Hearing that raised my spirits; I could probably actually make a living here! "What kind of jobs?" I asked her, my tone betraying my excitement. "Well, right off the top of my head, I remember that the Apple family was looking for someone to help bring their harvest from Sweet Apple Acres to town. Maybe you could ask about that," she thought a little more, and said, "I also think that the Ponyville Schoolhouse was looking for an assistant teacher," the Mayor told me. "Sweet Apple Acres? I was there earlier this morning. I suppose I could go there tomorrow and ask about the job. But, uh, I also kind of need a place to live. Are there any apartments around?" The Mayor shook her head no. "No, everypony has their own house here. Seeing as you're new here, you are probably going to have to buy one soon. Either that, or stay with somepony. I'm sure that somepony would be kind enough to let you stay at their home until you can buy a house." I thanked the mayor, and left.

It was now starting to get dark, and I was worrying about where to spend the night. I decided not to ask anyone if they would be willing to let me stay for the night, as it would be on too short notice.

Suddenly, I was grabbed from behind, and pulled into a crushing hug. I felt the air rush out of my lungs as I collapsed on the ground, my assailant still holding on to me. "Welcome to Ponyville, mister-" I recognized the voice of the pink mare who had run into me earlier today, as she let go of me, and asked me, "Oh no! I never asked you're name! How silly of me!" I heard laughter, as I struggled to get back up. "I-I'm Chance." I wheezed, and the pony visibly brightened. "You hear that, everypony? This is Chance! Let's all welcome him to Ponyville!" I was glad she didn't hug me again, when I saw a big group of multicolored ponies approach me, and they began to ask me questions, and welcome me. I was uncomfortable answering questions about what happened before my arrival here, but otherwise, I had a little fun meeting all of these new ponies. The pink pony, whose name I learned was Pinkie Pie. There was a party platter, to which I helped myself, as I was starved. At the end of the party, ponies dispersed, and I was left alone, sitting on the bench, moon far overhead. Fortunately for me, I was exhausted enough to fall asleep quickly, right there, on the bench.


	3. Chapter 3

I awoke with a start, and looked around me. I was lying on a park bench, my chessboard under my head. It was still very early in the morning, and there were no ponies about.

I decided to start making my way out of town, and down the path to Sweet Apple Acres. I grabbed my chessboard, and set off, walking more comfortably on two legs. Unbeknownst to me, a certain wall-eyed pony was hiding behind the park bench on which I had spent the night, clutching an envelope, her heart beating very quickly from almost being caught.

* * *

Ditsy Doo held the envelope to Mr. Cake with both hooves, frightened out of her mind. She had woken up the sleeping pony, and just barely managed to snatch the envelope away before he saw her. She peeked out from behind the bench, saw that the pony was gone, and made her way to Sugercube Corner, where a Mr. Cake was waiting for her.

"Oh thank goodness, darling! You got my envelope back. I can't thank you enough. Here, please, take this." He handed Ditsy a small package. "Thank you, Mr. Cake!" Ditsy replied timidly, and trotted off.

* * *

I had finally reached Sweet Apple Acres. My legs were sore again, but I had made it. The sun had just come up, but I could hear nothing coming from the farm. I knocked on the front door, and I heard hooves shuffling along the ground. Soon, the door opened, and a very tired-looking Applejack stood there, dark circles under her eyes. "May ah he-oh, hello Chance. What are you doing here?" She asked, and yawned. "Um, I came here to ask about the job; are you still looking for someone to bring the harvest to Ponyville?" She looked confused for a second, then shook herself awake, and said, "Yes! Yes, we are still looking for somepony. Did you want that job?" I nodded my head yes. "Yes, I was hoping that it would still be open, as I need some money to buy a house in Ponyville." Applejack smiled tiredly, and said, "Oh! So you're staying then?" I nodded. "Well that's great. It'll be nice to have another friend in town. As for work, do you think you could bring a batch of apples to Ponyville right now? Ah'm really tired from bucking apples late last night." Applejack yawned, and her hat fell off. "Alright, I suppose I could. I was going back soon anyway." Applejack smiled tiredly again. "Thanks. I needed a rest. The cart's right by the barn. Bring it to the marketplace, will you?" I smiled, and she went back inside, closing the door.

I walked over to the side of the barn, where I saw a cart that held a pile of red and green apples. I grabbed onto it and pulled, but with difficulty. After some trial and error, I found that it was easiest to fasten it to a harness around my neck, and to pull the cart while walking on all four feet. For some reason this felt degrading, as I had, my whole life, seen horses pull carts, and couldn't imagine a human pulling one. But I was a pony now, so I guess it was normal.

I started making my way back, pulling the cart. I had placed my chessboard into the cart as well, so I didn't have to carry it around. I suppose later today I could try and find some pony that would be willing to let me stay at their home while I made enough money to buy one for myself. But for now, I trudged forward, pulling the cart behind me.

* * *

Ditsy Doo the mailmare flew through the air, passing trees below her as she made her way towards Ponyville, not noticing that she was dropping letters, leaving a trail of white papers behind her. As she flew, the yellow scarf she wore around her neck became undone, and Ditsy awkwardly tried to grab it, but stumbled mid-flight, and dropped her mailbag.

"Oh no oh no!" Ditsy exclaimed, and dived to try and catch the two items.

* * *

I was still walking along the path, pushing the cart, when I noticed that once again, there was a letter stuck in the same tree from yesterday. 'Odd,' I thought, and grabbed it. I took my chessboard, and was about to put the letter in the compartment, when I noticed that ahead were more letters. I trotted forward, and began to pick them up, one by one, following the path. I walked, holding the pile in one hand, when I heard someone struggling to the left of me, in the forest. I took the harness off of my neck, and went into the forest, trying to see what was going on. I pushed a large fern out of my path, and saw a grey mare with a blonde mane struggling to free herself from the branch of a tree, to which she was tied to by the strap of a mailbag. I couldn't see her face, because it was obscured by a yellow scarf wound around her head and neck.

"Excuse me! Do you need a little help?" I called out to the pony. She froze, and with one hoof adjusted her scarf so she could see me. "Wh-what do you want?" She stuttered, her voice muffled by the scarf. "I don't want anything, it just looks like you might want help." I answered, looking up at her hanging from the branch. She didn't say anything, just hung there, then spoke up.

"Y-yes, I need some help." "Well alright then." I walked towards her, and grabbed her by the leg, while she watched me with one eye through a gap in her scarf. I pulled once, twice, and on the third pull the mailbag slipped off of the branch and the mare fell down. She quickly scrambled up, then snatched her mailbag up. Catching sight of the mail that I held, she dove for it, and scattered it across the ground, due to her inability to see while wearing her scarf. Her mailbag fell to the ground again, and I could see a big tear in the side, which would explain the dropped mail. The mare fell awkwardly, and splayed out against the ground. I just stood there, looking at her. "Perhaps I could help you gather your mail?" I asked, with only a hint of jest in my voice. The mare slowly got up, hunched over, and I could see her shoulders bob up and down. "Oh, I'm sorry, are you ok?" I asked, genuine concern in my voice. I thought I could hear her softly crying. "Hey now, I'm sorry if I offended you." I quickly gathered the mail scattered around, and offered it to her. She took it from my hands, put it into her mailbag, and was about to fly off, when I grabbed her hoof, causing her to flinch, and drop all of her mail again. "Hold on, miss! Don't you see there's a hole in the bag?" I asked, puzzled. She looked at me through the scarf, then began bawling. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I pleaded, but she just bawled and bawled. "Listen, miss! Please just listen to me!" She turned away from me. I was getting more and more desperate. "Listen! What if I patched up your bag? You can't carry mail in this." For some reason she would not take that scarf off of her head, even though it was clearly impairing her vision.

The mare gathered up her mail once more, re-adjusted her scarf, and began to flap her wings. I was now not all that surprised to see she had wings, because I had already seen ponies with wings and horns back in Ponyville. She rose up, and began flying towards ponyville. "Come back!" I called after her, but she was too high to hear me.

"Shit!" I muttered, feeling angry at myself for distressing that mare. I then noticed that she had left her mailbag behind. Sighing, I grabbed it, and made my way back to the cart.


	4. Chapter 4

I soon arrived at Ponyville, my back and legs sore from pulling the cart loaded with apples. I brought the cart over to the marketplace, where many mares and stallions were selling and buying goods. I set the cart down next to a stall that read "SWEET APPLE ACRES APPLES", and then realized that I didn't know what to do next. I couldn't just leave the stall unguarded! Sighing, I sat down, leaning my back against the cart, and grabbed my chessboard. After setting up the chess pieces, I decided to play a game against myself to pass the time. I began moving first with a white piece, then a black piece, and back again. It was entertaining enough that I lost track of time, and when Mr. Cake came by to buy some apples, I had difficulty leaving my game to sell some to him, using a price guide nailed to the stall for reference. After Mr. Cake left, some other ponies who were hesitant to try and buy apples earlier saw that I was working there, and also came over to buy. I placed all the money that I got from selling apples into a pouch. Then, I went back to my game.

* * *

Ditsy Doo knocked on Mr. Cake's second-floor window. She heard movement inside, and flew inside when a pink and purple mare opened the window. "H-hello Mrs. Cake," Ditsy muttered through her tear-stained, yellow scarf. One eye blinked rapidly at her through a gap in the scarf.

"Disty! What's happened to you?" Mrs. Cake asked, concerned. This is not the first time Ditsy had showed up upset. She had been bullied almost her whole life because of her disability. When she was, she turned to the Cake family for help.

"T-the new pony made f-fun of me!" Ditsy wailed. "H-he said that I couldn't s-see the hole in my m-mailbag!" She burst into tears again. "Aww, Ditsy, I'm sure he didn't mean to make you sad. Did he apologize?" Ditsy sniffled. "I-I think so…" "Listen, Ditsy. I'm certain that he didn't know. My husband said that the new pony was very polite." Ditsy dried her eyes, and looked at Mrs. Cake. "Y-you think so?" she asked. "I know so, dearie. Now why don't you go play with Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake." Mrs. Cake kissed Ditsy on the forehead, and led her into a bigger room, where two small fillies were playing with blocks. "Ditty!" They exclaimed as they saw their friend. Ditsy Doo smiled a little as she sat down to play with the fillies.

* * *

I was playing my game again when I heard a familiar voice call out, "Hey Chance! Ah'm so glad you watched the stall for me, ah forgot to tell you what to do after you brought it here!" I looked up to see Applejack, who seemed much more rested. "Here's your pay for bringing the cart here, and letting me sleep in today." She tossed me a small bag, and stepped behind the booth. Noticing the pouch, Applejack asked me, "Did you sell apples while ah was gone?" I told her that I had sold some apples to ponies that wanted to buy. "Ah, alrighty then. Thank you for watching the stall!" I said goodbye, and grabbed the pouch and my chessboard, careful not to disturb the pieces, and carried it over to a bench, where I resumed my game.

Before long, I felt something tug on my leg. Looking down, I saw a small, orange filly with a purple mane grasping my leg. She was also holding onto a scooter. "Excuse me, mister. Are you playing chess?" I looked down at her curiously as she gazed at me with large, purple eyes. "Yeah, I reckon I am, why?" I asked the filly. "Um, by yourself?" She seemed confused as to how someone could do that. "Yes, I am," I told her. She jumped onto the bench, and looked around before sitting down. "Can I play?" She asked, her eyes shining. "Of course. But, um, do you know how to?" I asked her. I didn't even know that ponies had chess here. "Yes, but, please don't tell anyone." I was confused as to why she wanted to keep that a secret, and asked her why. The filly looked around the park that neighbored the marketplace. Few ponies were around. "My friends don't know that I like to play chess. There aren't any ponies here that do, but I really like it, and I played with my grandfather before he, um," she started to stutter, so I switched to topic. "So, what's your name?" "I'm Scootaloo!" she exclaimed excitedly. "That's a nice name. I'm Chance." "Pleased ta' meet ya'!" Scootaloo said. I noticed that she had a very small wings on her sides. We talked some more, then began to play. Scootaloo was actually quite decent at chess, and we had fun. Before we knew it, the sun started to show signs of waning, and I realized that I needed to find a place to stay, quick.

"Well, thanks for playing with me, Scootaloo, but I have to get going. "Ok, thank you mister!" The filly said, then grabbed her scooter and rode off.

I got up, gathered the chess pieces, and began to make my way towards the town square. I passed Applejack at the marketplace, where she was beginning to pull the cart, which was much emptier now, back to Sweet Apple Acres.

I arrived at the town square, in the center of which was a large, round building that towered over the rest of Ponyville. I looked around, and found a wooden fence of sorts, which was covered in various papers. There were fewer ponies around now, as the sun was just about to set. I scanned the papers, and found that this was one of 3 message boards in the town center. After a bit of searching, I found what I needed; a ROOMMATE WANTED poster, along with address and how much to pay each week. Best of all, the words "Come by anytime" were printed on the bottom of the poster.

'Fantastic! Now I have a place to stay at until I can buy a house.' I asked a pony about where to go, who helped me, and I began to walk there.

Ten minutes later, I arrived at a medium-sized house on the outskirts of town. It was a lot like many of the other homes in Ponyville, except that a vinyl record hung from a nail on the door.

I knocked, but no one answered the door. Peeking inside, I saw that everything was dark. 'Maybe whoever lived at this house was already asleep,' I thought. My stomach emanated a loud rumbling noise, and I realized that I had not had anything to eat, other than food from Pinkie's party, in two days. Deciding to go find a bar to get some food and a drink, I trotted towards a building that had a sign saying, "The Bronzed Hoof". Inside, I heard music and voices. 'That sure sounds like a bar,' I thought to myself, noting the tough stallion standing near the entrance, with shades over his eyes. Walking up, I tried to walk past him, but he stepped in my way, and asked with a gruff tone of voice, "Hey, how come you ain't got a cutie mark? What are you, five?" Offended by his tone, I spat back, "That's none of your business! Now let me in, I'm old enough."

This seemed to satisfy him, and he stepped aside to allow me entry. I turned a corner, and a wave of music and noise washed over me. Ponies were dancing everywhere; most of the club was a sea of bodies. In one corner was a bar, where ponies were drinking. A loud techno beat came from the opposite corner of the club, where a white pony pony with a blue mane performed as a disc jockey. Something big and purple was covering part of her face, but I was too far away to see. I made my way over to the bar, and sat down on a stool. Leaning on my elbows, I looked around. To the left of my, a passed-out pony was drooling. To my right, a mare and a stallion were talking. The back wall of the bar was covered with various alcoholic drinks. I called the barkeep over, a dark brown pony with a grey mane, and ordered a strong drink. Taking a sip, I slumped down a little more, as my mind began to fog up. I drank more, and more, and before I knew it there were many empty glasses in front of me. The music had now become a dull ache in my ears, lulling me to sleep. I slumped down even more, my head touched the table, and I plummeted into a drunken sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapters will become much larger from this point, preferably 3000 words or more.**

* * *

I woke slowly, my head aching to the rhythm to which I fell asleep to yesterday. I gripped my head with both hooves, and tugged on my mane, to try and distract myself from the hangover I was experiencing. With drunken stupor comes painful awakening, I heard my friend once tell me. I unclenched my jaw, and gasped for breath. "JESUS, what did I drink last night!" I shouted, more to myself than to anyone else, and got some strange looks from other hungover ponies recovering from yesterday. After the worst had passed, I counted the glasses in front of me, and left some coins on the counter equal to how much I had drunk. I headed out the door, but not before noticing the blue-haired disc jockey pony struggling to pack up his/her equipment. It was difficult to tell what gender he/she was from the other side of the club.

I left the club, and remembered that I had a job to do. It seemed that every morning I would have to take a two-way trip; to Sweet Apple Acres and back. 'At least I HAVE a job, compared to my old life.' As I left town and walked down the trail to the farm, I thought about how this…place had given me a fresh start. I had a new job, and will soon have a place to spend the nights. Bringing the apple cart to Ponyville paid decently, although (to my dismay) I had spent most of yesterday's pay at the bar.

I finally arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. There, Applejack greeted me, gave me a new, full cart, and told me when she would come by to manage the stall, which I agreed to watch until she arrived.

After another hour of walking, I arrived at the stall, and took off my harness. Sitting back down next to the stall, just like yesterday, I was about to get out my chessboard, when I remembered that I had left it outside the house where I hoped to stay at. I noticed Mr. Cake outside his shop, and called to him. He came over, and I asked him, "Excuse me Mr. Cake, but I forgot something over at the other end of town, and I was wondering if it wouldn't be too much trouble to watch the stall until I came back?" Mr. Cake told me that sure, he wouldn't mind, and I took off. When I got there, I grabbed the chessboard and the grey mare's mailbag from under the porch where I had left the items before I went drinking. I then ran back as fast as I could, so as not to leave the generous Mr. Cake waiting too long, as I was certain that he had his own business to attend to.

I got back to the stall, and thanked Mr. Cake repeatedly, who told me it was no big deal, and went back to his shop. I sat down against the cart again, and set up the chess pieces. I began playing against myself, but only got through a few turns when Scootaloo rode up. "Hello, Mr. Chance!" she greeted me enthusiastically. "Hi, Scootaloo," I said, looking up. "Mr. Chance, sir, I was wondering if you wanted to play some more chess, like yesterday." She asked me, balancing on her scooter. "Sure, it's more fun to play someone than yourself, that's for sure." Scootaloo seemed uncomfortable for a moment, then asked me, "Um, can we play in the park like last time? I don't want my friends to see me." I still didn't understand why she wouldn't want her friends to see her play chess with me, so I asked her why. "Most ponies here don't know what chess is, including my friends, and I don't want them to think I'm weird." "But Scootaloo, there's nothing to be ashamed of about playing chess. Chess is an intellectual game, you should be proud that you know how to play, especially if most people don't know how," I told her, assuringly. But something I said confused her. "Why did you say 'most people' instead of 'most ponies'?" I was confused by her question, but also did not know how to answer her. Should I tell her about how I used to be human? I pondered for a moment, then came up with a way to answer her question. "You see, Scootaloo, where I come from, people talk differently than peo-*cough*-ponies do here. We also don't have 'cutie marks' like you ponies do." I explained to her. "Wow! You don't have a cutie mark?" She asked, confounded. I found this odd, as I assumed she had already noticed by now. "No, I don't. How do you ponies get yours?" She perked up, and told me in a lecturing voice, "A cutie mark is a symbol of a young pony's coming of age, and discovering what's special about her." That explained it more or less, and I set the chess pieces up so that we could play. Scootaloo seemed less uncomfortable about playing in public now, and we began our game. Scootaloo was a lot calmer when playing, and I felt like I was seeing a side of her that her friends didn't. She played well, but was too eager to capture my pieces, which led to my victory. Frustrated, she demanded a rematch. We were halfway through our second game when Applejack showed up, paid me, and took over the stall. Not as many ponies bought apples today, but the pouch that held earnings was still near full of coins. Applejack saw that I was playing chess with Scootaloo, and giggled. "Looks like you're making new friends already, Chance. Say, what's that there game you're playing?" I turned to her and said, "We're playing chess, but I really must get going now." I apologized to Scootaloo, who was distraught over not getting her revenge on me. I thanked her for playing with me, and gathered all of the pieces.

Scootaloo rode off on her scooter, and I began walking back towards the home with the vinyl record on the door. Hoping that the owner was home today, I knocked on the door.

The door opened, and I was surprised to see the disc jockey pony from the club open the door. I could see now that she was a mare, with large purple tinted sunglasses resting on her nose, obscuring her eyes.

"Can I help you?" she asked in a tomboyish voice. She seemed annoyed. "Um, yes, I'm here to ask about the poster you put up in the town center, looking for a roommate?" "Yeah, what about it?" she asked, her tone not changing. "I am looking for a place to stay until I can buy a house here, so I was wondering if I could stay here, and pay my part of the rent," I asked, feeling uncomfortable about how she was acting.

Her tone brightening only slightly, she said, "Yeah, sure. Come on in." I followed her into the house, and noticed that she had two bridged eighth notes as her cutie mark. Inside the house, we entered the living room. Two large, blue couches faced a television. In the corner, a lot of DJ equipment sat amidst a massive tangle of wires. The room was dark, the only light in the room came from gaps in shutters that were drawn over windows. A doorway led into a kitchen, and a staircase led upstairs.

"This way," She told me, and led me up the stairs. We entered a hallway, off of which branched off three doors. "This is my room," the mare said, knocking on the first door. "This is yours, and that is the bathroom." She knocked on the second door, then pointed to the door at the end of the hallway. I opened the door to my room. There was a small bed against one wall, next to which stood a wooden desk, and a dark blue beanbag. The walls of the room were wallpapered light blue. Light slipped into the room through a shuttered window. I trotted into the room, and examined it, seeing as I would spend some time here before I purchase a home for myself.

"Well, do you like it?" I turned around, and saw the blue-haired mare grinning at me, her eyes still hidden behind her purple shades. It seems that her mood has improved. "You have quite the fashion sense, miss…um, what is your name?" She spoke, still grinning, "I'm Vinyl Scratch, how about you?" Her grin was a little contagious, as I felt the corners of my mouth trying to escape upward. "I'm Chance Ransom." "Great to meet you, Chance. Also, I should tell you about payment, if you're going to be staying here. It's one hundred twenty bits a week, and I would prefer it if you paid earlier, rather than later. Also, one last thing-if you touch my DJ equipment, or go into my room, I'll kill you." "Alright, I'll keep that in mind. Thank you very much!" I thanked Vinyl, and she went downstairs. I put down my chessboard on the table, and put the grey mare's mailbag on top of it. 'I should go find someone to patch it up, in case that pony comes by again.' Thinking this, I grabbed it, and went downstairs. Vinyl was in the kitchen, and she didn't notice me leave.

Closing the door behind me, I walked down to the marketplace. It was now late day, and the sun was just beginning to drop from its perch up in the sky. There were still lots of ponies around, buying from stalls. I saw Applejack's stall, and walked over to it. "Hello Chance! How's it going?" Applejack asked me. "Hello, I'm fine. I just wanted to buy some apples to eat, as I'm awfully hungry. "Oh, alrighty then. Here you go," she said, and handed me a small basket of apples. I took out my bag of coins, and put 6 bits onto the table. "Thank you!" I said, and trotted off.

I soon found what looked like a clothing store, called the "Carousel Boutique". Walking inside, I saw lots and lots of dresses and various clothing items everywhere. It all looked really well done, too. I called out, "Hello? Is anyone there?" "I'll be with you in just a moment!" answered an elegant, yet snobbish-sounding voice, clearly female. A white mare walked through a large door, and greeted me. "Hello! How can I help you?" She had a well-combed purple mane, that twirled down her head, and large, exaggerated eyelashes. "I have a question; can you repair this?" I held out the mailbag, from which the mare backed away from, as if it were something hideous. "Oh, that's so dirty! I think it would be much better to make a new, much more fabulous bag to replace it, and throw away that old thing. It's repulsive!" I blinked, and asked again, "But, could you just sew up the tear?" "Fine! Be stubborn! I'm telling you, it's a much better idea to make a new one, but alright, if that's what you want!" She said, rolling her eyes. I didn't really like the likes of her; she was too dramatic. She took the mailbag from my hands, and walked through the big door. "Wait here, darling. I'll be right back."

I heard activity behind the door, and she came back moments later, holding the now-repaired mailbag. "Thank you, miss. How much do I owe you?" I asked, taking it from her. "Oh, it was nothing. I can't charge you for that," she said, putting emphasis on the last word. "Alright then, thank you!" I thanked her again, and walked out of the boutique. I munched on apples as I walked home.

I soon arrived at Vinyl's home, and opened the door. There was gone, and so was her DJ equipment, so I assumed she had gone to the club. I considered going there to see her play, but thought against it, as I was eager to sleep in a nice comfy bed today, instead of a bar counter or a park bench. Before I went to sleep, I set up my chessboard on the table next to me. Call it odd, but I found it much easier to sleep thinking about the chess game that was waiting to happen, not two meters away from me. I moved a white pawn forward two spaces, then crawled into bed, and quickly dosed off.

I awoke slowly, this time without suffering from a hangover. I fumbled around in the dark blue covers, before getting out of bed, and stretching. I blinked rapidly, trying to get my well-rested eyes back into working order. I trotted over to the table, and leaned on it with my front two legs, stretching my back. It felt good to finally rest normally, without having to worry about finding a job or a meal, knowing that I had already taken care of that. I grabbed the last of the apples in the basket, and ate them as I left my room and trotted down the stairs. There was no sight of Vinyl or her DJ equipment. 'Eh, she probably passed out at the club again.' I thought, recalling the day before yesterday, when I saw her leaving the club early in the morning. I thought no more of it, and I left the house, heading down to the marketplace, and from there, to Sweet Apple Acres.

I had once again arrived at the marketplace, cart full of apples in tow. I removed the harness from my shoulders, and set the cart down, next to the Sweet Apple Acres Apples booth. I sat down, but realized, to my dismay, that I had forgotten my chessboard at home. I did't want to bother anyone so that I could run back and get it, so I just leaned back and relaxed. It was boring, and I was happy when ponies stopped by to but apples, as I then had something to do. After a while, I heard the sound of wheels rolling across the ground, and saw a familiar orange filly ride up to me, a backpack slung over her back. "Hello, Scootaloo!" I called out to her. "Sorry, but I forgot my board at home today." Scootaloo just smiled widely, and spoke in her cheery voice, "It's alright, I found my grandaddy's chessboard in the attic yesterday, and I wanted to show it to you!" Scootaloo got off of her scooter, took her backpack off, and opened it. She reached in and took out a chessboard. As Scootaloo put it onto the ground in between us and set it up, I saw that it was very ornate and fancy, standing on four carved legs, and all of the pieces were small, wooden ponies. "Wow, that's a really nice board!" I told Scootaloo, and she beamed. "Thank you, my grandpa made it himself!" She sat down on her rump, and went first (as she had chosen white). The game continued for a little, before we were interrupted by some adolescent ponies that had trotted up. "Hey Scootaloser, what are you doing?" They cooed, and Scootaloo winced. "These your friends?" I asked, and gestured to the three ponies that had walked up. One had a dark red coat, with a yellow mane, and a large forehead. Behind him, stood a dark green pony with a blonde mane, and a light green pony with a dark green mane. The dark red pony was clearly the ringleader. "No," Scootaloo said, under her breath, her head turned to the side, so the ponies couldn't see her face. "Heh, look! Scootaloser's playing a big pony game!" the light-green pony chuckled. "Give me that!" A red hoof grabbed for the board, but I swatted it away with my hoof. "I'd like it if you didn't touch what's not yours." This angered the red pony, who spat on the ground and told me, "Look, you dumb old horse, give me that toy of yours, or I'll beat up your little 'friend' here after school tomorrow!" This really angered me. I have never really had bad experiences with bullies of any sort, but this was just too far. I jumped to my feet, and took a step towards the group, trying to look as threatening as I could. The red pony spat in front of me again. "What are you gonna do, old man?" He scoffed at me. This pissed me off more. 'I'm not old! I'm barely twenty!' I took another step towards him, and when he didn't back off, I decided to teach this punk a lesson. I lashed out with my front leg, and stomped downward on his front leg. My blow met little resistance, as his leg folded under mine, bone snapping. He screamed out in pain, and I stomped again, on his other front leg, breaking it as well. Scootaloo and the red ponies' friends only stared in horror, jaws dropped, at the horribly mutilated shins. All around us, ponies had galloped up to help, and saw me, breathing heavily, standing over the downed pony. Blood darkened his legs. He fell over to one side, frozen in pain. I bellowed at his accomplices, "RUN, YOU LITTLE CUNTS!" They turned tail and ran, green and blond manes flowing behind them.

A big, muscular pony grabbed my front legs, yelling, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Other ponies closed in on me, shouting. What I had just done dawned on me, and I yelled back, hoping that they would stop and listen to me. "Stop! Let me explain!" The big pony towered over me, and crossed his front legs. "Why the hell did you do that?" I cowered, feeling the mass of ponies closing in on all sides. I could no longer see the red pony, but I could hear his screams over the shouts of the crowd. "He and his gang threatened to beat up this little pony here!" I pushed two ponies aside to point to Scootaloo, who was sitting on the bench, his face ashen from seeing such violence. I could see dark streaks under her eyes. "Is this pony telling the truth?" The big pony asked Scootaloo, who gulped, and nodded, her eyes watering. "Alright then. It was just self defence for now, but don't think you're off the hook! I'm going to get the rest of the police force to do a full investigation!" He bellowed at me, and pushed the crowd out of the way, and walked off. I saw that his cutie mark was a sherrif's star, so I concluded that he must a sherrif or a police officer.

Looking back at the red pony, I saw that he was now unconscious, and some ponies who I assumed were doctors were loading him onto a stretcher. I turned to Scootaloo, who was quickly gathering her chessboard and pieces, and putting them into her backpack. Jumping onto her scooter, she looked at me fearfully before dashing off. "Scootaloo, wait!" I shouted after her, but she just skated away.

Behind me, I heard Applejack's voice. "Chance! What happened here? What did ah miss?" I turned around, and saw her standing behind me, a confused expression on her face. "Some bullies threatened to beat up Scootaloo, so I, um…" I paused, trying to think of what to say. "You what, Chance? What did you do?" I looked down guiltily, and spoke, "I hurt the ringleader." Still unsatisfied, she asked, "Hurt him? How?" Still averting her gaze, I said, "I broke his two front legs." Applejack gasped, and put a hoof over her mouth. "Chance! You can't just go maiming ponies! What did the police say?" "They called it self defence, for now."

Applejack looked around, and asked me, worried, "Where's Scootaloo?" I looked up. "She ran off, I tried calling to her, but she didn't turn around." Concerned, Applejack shouted at me, "Go find her, then! Seeing you hurt a pony that bad must have been very traumatizing! Go!" I nodded, and ran. I passed ponies, some of which turned away from me, some of which just stared. I pushed myself harder, to try and catch up to the scooter-riding filly. As I ran through the park, I saw a familiar shade of orange amidst the green of a bush. I slowed my pace, and walked up to it. As I got closer, I heard quiet sobbing. I was now right next to the bush, inside of which I saw Scootaloo, her arms wrapped around her backpack. I used my leg to push a branch out of the way, and crawled inside, under the canopy of leaves stemming off of the bush. Scootaloo squeaked when she saw me, and cowered behind her backpack. "Scootaloo, please! Listen to me!" I begged her, sitting uncomfortably with branches poking into my back. She peeked up at me, her eyes watering. "Scootaloo…" I said quietly.

"Why did you hurt that pony so bad, Chance?" She asked, her voice barely audible. "I hurt him, because if I didn't, he would have hurt you. You need to understand, Scootaloo, that before I came here, I have never seen anyone as cruel as that pony who threatened you. The only people that I knew really well were my friends, who helped me when life was hard. Without them, I was lost, all alone." Scootaloo nodded, listening. "After everything that my friends did for me, I would not be able to just let bad things happen to them, like bad things happened to me, my whole life." Scootaloo suddenly spoke up, albeit quietly. "W-what do you mean, b-bad things?" "I have a lot of trouble living life without the help of other people. When I'm alone, I always fail at everything, and feel lost. Before I came here, I had already lost my job, had no money, and was about to be kicked out of my home." "B-but, you have friends here, don't you?" I nodded slowly. "Yes, when I came here, I first felt very lost and alone. I didn't know anyone here. But I met some ponies who were very nice to me, and got a job, and a home, thanks to some new friends. Friends like you, Scootaloo. You're very nice, and I didn't want those horrible ponies to do anything bad to you, because I owe you so much for helping me fit in here." I poured my story out in buckets, holding almost nothing back. I didn't want Scootaloo to leave, to avoid me. She crawled over to me, and rested her head against my arm. "I'm sorry, Chance. I didn't understand. I'm still your friend, ok?" She said, comfortingly. "Thank you, Scootaloo," I said quietly, and laid my head upon hers. We stayed like that for a long time, comforting one another.


	6. Chapter 6

After Scootaloo and I parted, I headed back to Vinyl's house. It was now still early morning, and the sun was climbing to the top of the sky. I could feel its heat on my back, as I trotted through the park. Fillies, colts and ponies ran around, playing. 'It's awfully hot out today,' I thought. I left the park, and entered the marketplace. Applejack was still at her stall, selling apples to customers. A large cart was parked in the middle of the marketplace, and several ponies inside were selling ice cream. I was tempted to go buy some, but seeing the large crowd in front of the cart, I became hesitant, and decided not to. Instead, I walked down a long street, passing many homes and ponies.

I finally arrived at Vinyl's home. The door was open slightly, and upon entering the house, I saw Vinyl Scratch splayed out across the bigger couch, one leg hanging over the side. A line of drool escaped from her open mouth, and her shades were perched haphazardly on her snout. 'I wonder how long she's been there,' I thought to myself as I quietly walked past her, and up the stairs. Entering my room, I closed the door behind me, then opened the shutters to allow more light into the room, and sat down on the dark blue beanbag. I thought about what happened today. For the first time in my life, I had intentionally harmed someone. And I didn't feel any regret, as I had done it defending one of the few friends I had here.

My thoughts then turned to finances. I still did not have enough money to pay the rent, as I got only twenty bits a day for bringing the apple cart to Ponyville. That left me only twenty bits a week for food and other necessities. It looks like I, unfortunately, had to find another job. But before I do that, I should return the grey mare's mailbag. I got off of the beanbag, and was about to grab the mailbag when I noticed something. The mailbag was gone! Someone must have taken it! I'm going to ask Vinyl about this when she wakes up, in case she took it.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my chess set. It was set up like yesterday, with the white pawn moved forward two spaces. However, a black piece has also moved. The left knight now stood in front of the row of pawns. 'Someone moved this,' I thought, but instead of putting the piece back into its place, I moved a white bishop through the gap created by my pawn. Smirking to myself, I walked back downstairs, past a passed-out Vinyl Scratch, and into the street.

'I really should go find a second job, if I want to be able to pay my portion of the rent,' I recalled how the mayor had told me that the nearby school was looking for an assistant teacher, so I decided to go see if that job is still open. Hopefully, it won't overlap with my morning work.

After walking down a fence-lined road for a while, I saw a pink, heart-adorned schoolhouse in the distance. Coming closer, I saw that it had a belltower, and a red flag flapped in the wind, attatched to a tall flagpole. I walked up to the front door, and knocked twice with my hoof. A purple mare opened the door. She had a bright pink mane, and bright green eyes. "Can I help you, sir?" she asked, smiling. "Hello, my name is Chance. I wanted to know if you were still looking for an assistant teacher?" The mare spoke, "My name is Cheerilee, it's a pleasure to meet you. Yes, we are looking for an assistant teacher, did you want that job?" "Yes, I do, but I also wanted to know, what would I have to do?" "You would have to come in every day, except for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, from 1:00 to 1:45, to teach the class something. The goal of this school is to teach the young fillies and colts everything they need to know, so that they will be prepared for life. I teach before you will, so you'll come in when I'm done. You don't need to worry about basic things like health and mathematics, because I will teach that." Cheerilee explained. "Oh, ok. Seems simple enough." Cheerilee still had one last question, "Have you had any experience teaching before, Mr. Chance?" I gulped, because I had not ever taught a class before, my assumption earlier being that I would help the teacher, instead of teaching after her. "No, not really, but I'm certain that-" Cheerilee cut me off, quickly saying, "Oh, don't worry about it. Teaching the students isn't difficult, I'm sure you'll figure it out quickly." "Alright then, when do I begin working?" I had begun walking towards the door. "Tomorrow, if you want!" "Ok, I'll come by then! Thank you very much!" I trotted out the door, which Cheerilee closed behind me.

I walked down the fenced path, back towards Ponyville. As I walked, I pondered how so many young fillies and colts all went to the tiny schoolhouse, which looked like it could barely hold a single classroom.

By the time I had arrived at Ponyville, I had concluded that either only a few of those ponies actually went to school, or some only went once every week or so. I suppose I would find out over the next couple of days. It was also very convenient that the work time was about a half hour after Applejack took over the Sweet Apple Acres market stall.

It was now getting late, so I trotted down to Vinyl's house. I felt like going to the club and getting a drink to celebrate my getting a second job, but I needed to think of something to teach tomorrow, and anyway, it's best that I get a good, non-alcohol induced sleep tonight, because tomorrow is going ot be a busy day. I asked a pony what day of the week it was, who told me that it was Sunday. 'Well, that explains why Scootaloo wasn't at school these last few days,' I thought to myself, and walked into Vinyl's house. The shutters where still down, making the house very dark. Light poured into the living room from the kitchen, where Vinyl Scratch was making dinner.

"Hello? Vinyl?" I called out, and a grinning, purple-shades-wearing Vinyl Scratch poked her head around the corner. "Hey Chance! How was your day?" "It was good. Um, you wouldn't know what happened to the mailbag I had in my room, would you?" Vinyl just shrugged, and went back into the kitchen. 'Damn, how else could it have disappeared?' I thought to myself, and climbed the stairs. Entering my room, I moved the beanbag up to the desk, and poured the money out the bag I kept it in onto the table. Counting, I found (to my dismay) that I had only 15 bits left. If I needed 120 for the rent and I got 20 a day by bringing the cart of apples to the market, and there were 5 days left until I had to pay rent, then… I would need at least 5 bits from teaching at the schoolhouse. Well, that's not something I should probably worry about. I then realized that Applejack had forgotten to give me payment today, because of the commotion that had occurred earlier this morning. So, it turns out, that if Applejack remembers to pay me for yesterday tomorrow, that I will have enough to pay rent. So, I guess financially, I'm set. I put the coins back into the bag, and moved it off to the side of the table.

I then noticed something, which, to be honest, I expected to see. The chessboard had changed again; a black pawn had moved forward a space. Obviously, this was Vinyl Scratch's doing. I smirked, and continued this 'game', by moving a pawn forward two spaces. I wondered how far this game could keep going, at this day-to-day pace.

My thoughts were interrupted by Vinyl Scratch calling from downstairs. "Hey, Chance! You hungry?" Surprised, I called back down, "Sure, coming!" and trotted downstairs. I did not expect Vinyl Scratch to make a meal for the two of us, as she barely knew me. When I walked into the kitchen, I saw two plates, loaded with steaming vegetables. I will admit to not being a fan of such foods, but I gratefully accepted the meal, as Vinyl was in no way obligated to making me dinner. Vinyl picked hers up, and carried it out of the kitchen. I followed by example. She walked over to the couch, and sat down. I sat down on the other, smaller couch, and Vinyl told me, "Just be careful not to drop anything on the couch, alright?" I nodded, and sat down, my back against the back of the couch, and my legs crossed. We began to eat, and Vinyl, using her unicorn horn, which poked out just slightly from her mane, turned on the television. Vinyl and I ate our vegetables as we watched the news. A frail little pony, standing in front of what appeared to be a hospital, spoke into a microphone. "-the injured pony has now been identified as Buck Youth, a 16-year-old colt. After gaining consciousness, he demanded to see the police, to whom he described the pony who assaulted him, and broke his two front legs. Police say that they are looking for a 20 to 40 year old grey stallion, with an orange mane, and no cutie mark. If you see him, please report him to your nearest poli-" The television turned off, and I turned to see Vinyl Scratch gaping at me.

"Uh, I can explain, he was-" Vinyl Scratch stuttered, then spoke. "Are you INSANE? You're here for TWO DAYS, and you HOSPITALIZE A CHILD?" She looked really mad. "Look, it was self-defense! He threatened to beat up a little kid!" I shouted back. Vinyl Scratch was taken aback by my brash response. "Look, I'm going to go to the police, and get everything sorted out." I finished the last of my vegetables, rinsed my plate in the kitchen, and walked to the front door. "Hopefully see you later," I said, and stepped out into the street. I walked down to the marketplace, my path illuminated by the occasional streetlight. From the marketplace, I saw the police station a couple of blocks away, and I trotted towards it.

I opened the door and walked through. The big pony who apprehended me earlier today was sitting at a small, wooden desk, reading a magazine. "Excuse me, sir? I'm here about the fight from earlier today." He looked up, and put down his magazine when he saw me. "Huh, how nice of you to show up. I'm going to have to ask you to come with me, to the interrogation room, so I can ask you a few questions. He stood up, and walked through a door behind him. I followed him, and entered a small, featureless room, with a large, wide table in the middle of it, and two chairs. I sat down on one, the police officer sat down on the other. Crossing his arms, he began, "Ok, I'm going to need you to answer these questions as best as you can. One: How long have you been in Ponyville?" I answered, "Two days." "Have you ever been found guilty of a crime before?" I had never before gotten in trouble with the police, so I answered no. "Did you or did you not attack the pony by the name of 'Buck Youth' this morning?" "I did." "Did you do it in defense of yourself or another, or did you do it for another reason, if so, please specify." "I did it to protect my friend from the gang of bullies." The big pony shrugged, and stood up. "Good enough for me." I was confused. "Is that it? Can I go?" "We get a lot of complaints about Buck here. He isn't a very good pony. And when I saw your younger friend there, I knew that he was at it again. But if you do that again, I'm not going to go easy on you. I don't want no troublemakers, see?" I nodded, stood up, and left the police station.

When I got back to Vinyl's house, she had already left to go to the club, and her DJ equipment was gone, as well. What's funny is, I have never seen Vinyl Scratch without her tinted purple shades obscuring her eyes. I thought it odd that she wore them all the time. I went to my room, closed the shutters, and fell asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

I slowly rose from my slumber, yawning. My bedsheets were a mess, a sign of my troubled sleeping last night. I got up, walked out of my room, and into the bathroom. Looking into the mirror, I noticed that the beginning of an orange goatee along my jawline. Tilting my head, I also observed taut muscles lining my legs, a result of pulling a heavy apple cart two miles each morning. Speaking of pulling apple carts, I really should get going so that I can be on time to the Ponyville schoolhouse. I splashed water in my face, which rose me out of my half-sleep.

I trotted back into my room, to grab my money bag. Taking it into my hoof, I moved my attention to the chessboard. A black bishop had slid diagonally, and taken my knight, which lay on its side. I moved my knight off of the board, and captured the black bishop with my queen. Satisfied, I went downstairs.

Vinyl Scratch and her DJ equipment was nowhere to be seen. I walked outside, closing the door behind me. Assuming she was passed out at the club, like the last two days, I decided to make a quick stop there. Fortunately, the club was right across the street from Vinyl's house. I entered, and saw the same mess that was there when I had fallen asleep at the club three days ago. Ponies were passed out on top of tables, under tables, and on the ground. I spotted Vinyl Scratch lying on top of her equipment, motionless. Stepping over unconscious ponies, I trotted up to her, and shook her shoulders. "Hey, Vinyl Scratch, wake up!" She moved, but was otherwise unresponsive. Sighing, I grabbed the cart on which her DJ equipment stood on, and began to pull it out of the club, Vinyl Scratch still lying on top of it. I'm sure it was quite a sight to any ponies up this early. I kicked the door to Vinyl's house open with my hoof, and pulled the cart inside. Putting it down under the staircase where it usually rested, I picked Vinyl Scratch up, bridal style, and balanced on my back two legs to carry her over to the couch. Putting her down gently, I left the house again.

I arrived at Sweet Apple Acres a little while later. Trotting over to the waiting apple cart, I put the harness on and was about to leave, when a small, light-yellow skin filly jumped in my path. She had a pinkish-red mane, and a large pink bow in her hair. "Hello, mister!" She called out, her large, peach-colored eyes trained on me. "Hello, miss. What are you doing here?" I asked. "I live here, duh. My name is Apple Bloom, I'm Applejack's sister! She told me to go to Ponyville with you, and from there to go to school." "Oh, alright then." I said, and began to trot down the road. Apple Bloom ran up to me, and hopped onto my back. "What's your name, mister?" She asked as I walked. "I'm Chance, pleased to meet you." As I walked back to Ponyville, Applebloom was fairly quiet, speaking much less than Scootaloo usually did. After forty minutes of walking, we arrived at Ponyville. Apple Bloom hopped off of my back, and ran off towards the school, yelling, "Thank you mister!"

I brought the cart over to the Sweet Apple Acres Apples stall, removed the harness, and sat down slumped against the cart. Ponies walked up, and bought apples. I was much more occupied today, it being the beginning of a new week, so I wasn't too bored. Applejack arrived before long, and took over the stall. She apologized for not paying me yesterday, and gave me today's and yesterday's pay. I thanked her, and ran down the fenced path towards the schoolhouse. I arrived there, panting, and saw many young fillies and colts running outside, so I assumed that it was recess. I entered the schoolhouse, where Cheerilee was gathering papers. "Oh, hello Chance! The colts and fillies are outside for recess right now, you'll be teaching them when they come back inside." "Alright. Thank you, Cheerilee. Have a good day!" Cheerilee nodded, and left the schoolhouse. I used this time to look around the schoolhouse. There were 9 desks, facing the front of the room. The walls and curtains were a leafy green color. Several shelves had books in them. I rethought me lesson plan in my head, then stood behind the teacher's desk, waiting for the students to come in from recess.

The bell rang, and a group of ponies trotted into the classroom. Seven of them were confused by why I was here instead of Cheerilee, while two, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, were surprised to see me here. The students sat down at their desks, with Scootaloo in the back row, and Apple Bloom in the middle. "Hello class, my name is Chance Ransom. I'll be teaching your class during second period from this day on. A grey filly with a silver mane and light blue glasses groaned, in exaggerated boredom. I ignored her, and continued talking. "Today, I wanted to talk to you about something that is very common in life, and you will have to learn to deal with. It may be hard at times, but you just need to know that you have friends to help you if you encounter this." Some of the students exchanged confused glances. "I am talking about bullying. Does anyone here know what bullying is?" A red-maned pony wearing purple glasses, who sat in the front of the class, raised her hoof. I pointed to her, and she spoke. "Bullying is when one or more ponies make fun of another pony," she said, head cocked up in proud manner. "Thank you, miss, um…what is your name?" "I'm Twist," she replied. "Ok, thank you Twist. Now, I want to know who here has ever been a victim of, or has seen bullying happen?" All but two ponies raised their hooves. "Ok, hooves down." The students lowered their hooves. "I want to tell you what to do if you, or someone you know, is subject to bullying. I, myself, has never been bullied, but I am one of the lucky few. The truth is, as you have just shown me, is that bullying is very common." I paced the front of the classroom. "I want to tell you about something that happened yesterday, that made me see just how horrible bullying is. I was at the marketplace with a friend, and we were having fun. But suddenly, a group of bullies shows up, and threatens to hurt my friend," I turned to the class, and saw that they were listening intently, with the exception of Scootaloo, who was covering her face with her hoof. "I told the bullies to back off, which is what all of you should always do if a bully approaches you. They didn't, so I had to scare them off. I will tell you, that you should never do what I did, and should instead get the help of an adult pony, because I got in a lot of trouble, even for only defending my friend." One light blue filly, who was sitting in the front of the class, spoke up. "What did you do, Mr. Ransom?" "I attacked the bullies. Doing that was really a very bad idea, because hurting a pony, for any reason, is wrong. I guess I was just not thinking straight." The same pony spoke again. "Was this on the news yesterday?" I hesitantly nodded. "Look, what I did was extreme, but you need to know to stand up to bullies. They will only pick on ponies who are weak, or are easy to pick on, so you need to learn to show them that you are tough, and that it is a bad idea to mess with you. Then, they will leave you alone. If they don't, then you need the help of an adult."

The bell rang, and I realized that class was over. The fillies and colts gathered their things, and left the schoolhouse. After they left, I was also about to leave, when Cheerilee walked through the door. "Hello Chance! How was the lesson?" I shrugged. "It was decent. You were right; it was pretty easy to teach them." Cheerilee smiled, and gave me a small bag, full of coins. "Thank you for teaching, here is your payment. See you again tomorrow!" I thanked her, and left the schoolhouse.

Walking down the fenced road, I enjoyed the serenity of the tall, blueish-green trees. The wind was very slight, and reminded me of how great it was to be outdoors. I enjoyed the sensation of the cold, and the ground against my hooves. I realized just how much life was better here. I had plenty of friends, I spent lots of time outside, I had not one but TWO jobs, and a place to live in. Everyone was friendly here. If this wasn't the perfect life, then I don't know what is. I smiled to myself.

Before I knew it, I had arrived at the Ponyville town center. I walked a few blocks more, to the marketplace, where I saw Applejack working at her booth. I trotted up, and greeted her. "Hello, Applejack!" She smiled. "Heyo, Chance. What can ah do for yah?" "I just wanted to buy another basket of apples." I reached into one of my money bags, and took out a few bits. I gave them to Applejack, and took a basket of apples.

Not much later, I arrived at Vinyl's house. My basket was now half empty, as I had not eaten breakfast this morning, and ate most of the apples on the way here. I opened the door quietly, in case Vinyl Scratch was still sleeping. I saw her lying on the couch, rubbing her eyes wearily. I walked inside, and shut the door behind me. "Hello, Vinyl. Have a good rest?" She flinched, then snatched up her shades, which were lying nearby, and put them on quickly, so that I didn't see her eyes. "H-hello, Chance! You s-should have knocked before coming in," she stuttered, her chest rising and dropping from panicking. I walked up, but my basket down, and sat down next to her. "Sorry Vinyl, I didn't know if you were sleeping, and I didn't want to wake you up." "Fine. Thanks for bringing me home this morning, I appreciate that." She was calmer now, and she dragged a hoof through her blue hair, combing it. "Why do you stay so late at the club?" I asked her, concerned. Vinyl bit down on her bottom lip, then spoke, "Truth is, paying for this house is really difficult. I'm barely making ends meet as it is. That club is the only one in Ponyville that pays by the hour, so I try to work as long as I can, to get enough money." I noticed that she referred to her playing as 'work'. "Why do you call it 'work'? I would think that going to the club every day would be fun," Vinyl smiled tiredly. "Playing there has begun to just get tedious for me. The quality of my music has really decreased, and I'm worried that the club manager is going to try to find a new pony to replace me." She grimaced, but I can't say that I felt her pain. Before I came to Ponyville, I had rarely worked at all. "You know, your arrival here has really been a godsend. I can finally take a break, and make some new tunes, now that you're paying half the rent. Do you have any idea how long that 'Roommate Wanted' poster has been there?" "I have no idea, how long?" Vinyl Scratch paused for dramatic effect. "Half a year, at least." "Huh. Anyway, speaking of rent…" I took out a bag of money, and gave it to her. "Thank you," Vinyl said, and took it. "Well, I hope you enjoy your break. I'm going to my room." I trotted upstairs, and into my room.

I closed the window, and moved a chess piece, as my opponent had already made their move. Then, I got into bed, and drifted into sleep.

That night, I had the most peculiar dream. I felt myself be enveloped in the thick fog of my unconscious, as images and memories passed by in front of me. My past friends, my apartment, my family's cat, and that one green-haired girl from the apartment above me I had a crush on. The field of grass that I woke up in a few days ago, Applejack leaning over the fence, and the grey mailmare. The last memory lingered the longest. I saw myself as a pony, talking to her, trying to calm her down, pleading with her. She bawled, but I couldn't see her face. I wanted to shout to myself, to make myself try harder to calm her, but I couldn't speak I could only see. I saw the blond-haired mare rise off the ground, and fly away. But this time, she didn't leave her mailbag behind. She had picked it up, and put the mail back in it. I saw her flying, mail still spilling out of the bag. The other me ran, shouting, following the trail. But the mailmare rose higher and higher. Higher and higher. Higher, until I could no longer see her, just the specks of white drifting behind her. I wanted to follow the trail up, but having no wings, I could only watch the mail fall, tears streaming down my eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks to all of you who have read this far! This chapter is very symbolism-heavy, and I think is the best one I written so far. I apologize for its short length, but I couldn't think of how to make it any longer than how it is right now. So please stick with me, I promise that this story will become more intriguing over time.**

* * *

I woke with a start. I was sweating all over, and my bedsheet was lying at the very edge of my bed, having shifted by my movements. My lungs felt dry, and vision was blurry. I lay motionless, when I felt a cool breeze on my body. I sat up, and saw that my window was wide open. The flapping of wings could be heard in the distance.

I got out of bed, and walked up to the window. Everything was a solemn blue, and the moon's light reflected off of the rooftops. I breathed heavily, my breath becoming a thin cloud in the night air.

I walked away from the window, leaving it open, and approached the desk. I saw a letter lying on it, next to my chessboard. I picked up the letter, and opened it, as it was not sealed. Inside, I found what looked like part of a photo; it was too dark to see. I put it down onto the desk, then noticed that my opponent, whoever it was, had made their move. I saw, dismayed, that my capturing the black bishop had allowed my opponent to take my queen with their second bishop. I looked for the queen, which was missing, under the desk, and around the desk. I was dismayed when I couldn't find it.

Then, my eyes focused on a white shape directly in front of me, and I was taken aback. My white queen hung upside down in front of me, attached to the ceiling by a string. I moved my hoof towards it, but stopped. The queen was inches away from my hoof, but I felt as if I could not grab it. Something in my mind held my hoof at bay. 'It's almost like that mailmare,' I thought, my hoof still suspended. I lowered my hoof, and walked out of the room.

Entering the hallway, I saw that Vinyl's door was open, just slightly. I tiptoed down the hallway, and paused in front of her room. I could see, through the crack the open door made, Vinyl Scratch sitting on her bed, illuminated by strips of light that bled through the closed shutters. Her glasses were off, but I could not glimpse her eyes, which were hidden in the shadow between two strips of light. I turned away, and walked downstairs.

Downstairs, the living room looked like a graveyard. Furniture was partly illuminated by light that leaked into the room through the gaps in the shutters. I thought about why Vinyl had so many shutters in her home. Why did she hide her eyes behind those dark shades, and hide her life behind these shutters? Why did she first greet me, when I knocked on her door three days ago, like an intruder, and an unwanted person?

I avoided the two couches, and made my way to the door. I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. The door opened, and moonlight spilled into the room, plastering my shadow across the ground. I stepped forward, and into the dark street.

Sparsely placed street lights provided lighting along the long streets that stretched in all directions. I walked forward, and stopped in front of the house. I looked back, at the house. It now seemed more like a prison than a home. I stared at the second floor, where one window was open, and one was closed. I wondered if Vinyl was looking at me right now. I wondered what she was thinking.

My head down, I began to walk down one street, my hooves making soft pitter-patter sounds. I passed one dark home after another, their windows and doors like sleeping faces. Walking under the occasional streetlight, I felt exposed, vulnerable. Like I was in standing on a stage, every set of eyes trained on me. I now thought of one reason as to why Vinyl might want to hide. She was so unique, that standing in the spotlight would be horrifying. Every fault would be revealed, and every flaw would stand out among her gleaming skin. I stepped forward, out of the light. Here, I could be whoever I wanted, and could live without the scrutiny of others. I was hidden in complete darkness.

I then looked up and realized how far I'd walked from Vinyl's house. I turned around, and was about to start walking back, when I heard the flapping of wings. This one was much quicker than the one I heard earlier this night. I looked up, and saw something shoot by overhead. In its wake, a transparent strip of dark, blurry color followed. It seemed to head back down the street I had just walked, like a stain in the air. I followed it, trotting quickly but quietly. It seemed to dip slightly, and I gasped when I saw a portion of it that passed under a streetlight. It was a brilliant rainbow, its colors vibrant and brisk. I hesitated at the corner of the pool of light, then stepped into it, under the rainbow. It shone down, bathing me. I felt that it was more bearable this way, to stand under the rainbow that was illuminated.

My thoughts once again became questions. As I looked up at the rainbow that hid me from the blinding light, I wondered what had made this. A Pegasus? If so, why was it outside at this hour, and how did it create this brilliant rainbow? Why would anyone want to hide this? Were they too, afraid of the spotlight? I thought about it a little more, and chuckled ever so slightly to myself. The entire rainbow was hidden in the darkness, save for this portion, which helped me leave the darkness. Kind of like how my friends used to help me get by in life, before I came here. They were this rainbow, and I stood under them, using their help to live in the spotlight. Only here, the rainbow itself also chooses to hide, for some reason.

I thought back to something that happened about a year ago. This was before my downhill spiral, when my friends left me, and I turned to alcohol. I had a decent life, the highlights of which were the chess games that I played at the library. I had gotten really good, and my friends were urging me to play professionally, in tournaments. Now that I thought about it, I legitimately had a chance of winning. But when the time came, I didn't go to the tournament that was held in Seattle. I missed my one chance, because I was afraid of stepping into the spotlight. Not even a rainbow could have helped me then. Now, I regret not playing, because my life could have ended up much differently. I could have made more friends, and actually succeeded in life.

I now realized that the past few days of my life were nothing but a lie. I had only seen the bright, cheery side of Ponyville. Now, it was time to step out from under the streetlight, and to see those that hide in shadows.


	9. Chapter 9

My walk back to Vinyl's house was uneventful. I passed dark house after dark house, no sign of life whatsoever. The rainbow that had guided me home had long since faded, its dark colors dissipated into the night.

Walking up to the Vinyl's front door, I wondered if she was awake. I was about to push the door open with my hoof, when a sound pierced the silence of the night, and reached my ears. Like a whisper trapped in infinity, I heard the faint sound of a bow scraping across a violin. The melody that it produced was quiet, yet now that I focused on it, it sounded like it was all around me, washing over me from every direction. I looked up. The music was slipping out of Vinyl Scratch's room through the closed shutters.

I quietly opened the door, closed it behind me, and walked across the living room, to the staircase. My hooves made a quiet pitter-patter noise against the cold, wooden floor. The violin playing had ceased. I trotted up the stairs, slowly, and stopped in front of Vinyl's room.

Knock, knock. I tapped my hoof twice against the doorframe, and then waited, listening. No noise came from Vinyl's room. I whispered, my voice seeping through the slightly open door. "Vinyl…can I come in?" Still nothing. I pushed the door slightly with my hoof, and it opened slowly, its hinges creaking, to reveal a dark room, illuminated only by strips of moonlight that pierced the closed shutters. I could see Vinyl's feet, lying on top of her bed. The rest of her was engulfed by the darkness that plagued this home.

I stepped into the room. Vinyl didn't move. I walked up to the foot of her bed. "Vinyl…" The words slipped out of my mouth. She still lay motionless. I hopped up, onto her bed. It groaned under my weight. I reached over to her nightstand, where a doused candle sat. No response from Vinyl.

Suddenly, there was a flash of magic, and the candle lit. The room was illuminated by yellow light that danced around, casting exaggerated shadows. The darkness that shrouded Vinyl dispersed, and I could finally see her. She lay against the back of her bed, her head resting against the wall. A set of purple tinted shades sat on her snout. But what shocked me were the streaks that trailed from under her glasses. Tears glistened in the candlelight, like crystal-clear rivers during a sunset. The corners of her mouth curled downward.

"Did-did you hear me?" She asked, her lips barely moving. The sound of her voice was like a scream amidst a sea of whispers, silencing them in its suddenness. I just looked at her. Right now, it felt like the whole world outside this room had vanished. It was just me, and Vinyl.

"Why do you hide, Vinyl? What have you done, or what do you have, that makes you skulk in darkness?" I asked her, my eyebrows bunched up in concern.

Vinyl said nothing. More tears streamed down her cheeks, but her eyes were still hidden behind her shades.

"What lies behind the shutters?" I finally asked. Vinyl still did not move. When I said shutters, I really had meant something else. The shutters of her home hid her from the rest of the world, but her shades hid her from something else. They hid her from the darkness, where those that feared the world wept, alone. I wanted to know why she hid from that which protects her.

I felt like I could feel her tearing up inside, while her body lay still. I felt the panic, the fear of stepping into the light. She began to shiver, ever so slightly. I seized the opportunity, and pushed the blanket on which we sat on over her. I covered her with the blanket, just like that night Pegasus had covered me with their rainbow. I needed to show her that she wasn't alone, and that others hid in the darkness.

Vinyl Scratch still just sat there, the candlelight throwing beautiful gradients over her purple shades. I scooted up closer, and slumped against the end of her bed, next to her. I felt her body tilt, and lean against my shoulder ever so slightly.

"Vinyl?"

Vinyl breathed heavily. The intensity of us sitting next to each other was electrifying. I could just about feel the emotions and thoughts running through Vinyl's head.

Suddenly, she turned away from me, and I thought she was going to leave, when she reached under her bed, and took out a violin. Sitting back down next to me, she held it like a small child would hold a stuffed animal.

Slowly, very slowly, she began to play. Pulling the wooden bow across the strings, her fingers danced slowly on the end of the violin, like a dancer without a partner. A slow, lonely dance.

The silence was torn aside, the depressing melody cauterizing the wounds slowly. Even though it was only one instrument, it sounded like an orchestra. Every minute detail of the piece resonated amidst the flow of sound. The rising and dropping of the bow accompanied each new wave of music that overflowed the chalice that contained it; the violin which rested in Vinyl Scratch's capable hands.

Then, the music stopped. I was stunned, not expecting the fantastic performance to end so abruptly. It was a composition left unfinished; a story without an ending. I turned to face Vinyl, as I had been staring into space, lost amidst the music. She held the violin and bow in one hand.

Her other hand held mine.

"Vinyl…" I began.

She was once again motionless, her head tilted down.

"Why do you hide that?" I asked softly. I thought about how similar this was to the rainbow which I had seen earlier this night. Both were truly awe-inspiring, but lay unseen in the cover of night.

"I didn't want anyone to see…" Vinyl whispered. "Why?" I asked.

Then, something inside Vinyl broke. She had been repressing a sea of emotions and memories, and the dam that held them had collapsed. Vinyl heaved towards me, burying her head in my chest. Her whole body shook as she bawled, her voice muffled. Tears poured freely from her eyes, and onto my chest, soaking me. She wrapped her arms around my waist, and pressed her head against me harder. I rubbed my hooves against her back, comforting her. Vinyl just cried, her back bobbing up and down.

I just lay there, letting her release all of her suppressed emotions. Vinyl needed this, I realized. I had no idea how long she had hidden, or why.

Time passed, and her cries became sobs, then whimpers. I just waited, slowly stroking her back to remind her I was there. The candle had long since gone out.

I listened to her quiet breathing, when I realized that she had fallen asleep. I smiled a little, laid my head against hers, and closed my eyes.

The chirping of birds greeted me as I rose from my slumber. I slowly opened my eyes, and was greeted by the darkness of Vinyl's room. Dust floated through the air, carried by breezes that forced their way through the shuttered window. A burned-out candle lay on the bed. A violin and bow sat on the nightstand, and I remembered the bittersweet melody that came from it in Vinyl's capable hands.

Something stirred under me. I moved slightly, and saw Vinyl Scratch curled up, her arms around my waist. She was smiling slightly.

"Vinyl…wake up," I spoke, and she squirmed and yawned. She turned her head to look up at me, and I could tell that her eyes were open. "Good morning, Chance." She said softly. I sat up, and rubbed her chin with my hoof. "You feeling better?" Vinyl smiled sweetly. "Thanks…for being there last night." "It's alright." I smiled back.

"Hey Vinyl, why did you stop playing yesterday? You were doing so good!" Vinyl sighed at this. "I'd…rather not talk about that right now. I just need some time to think is all." I hopped off of her bed. "Take all the time you need. Today's your day off, remember?" "Yeah, I will. Thank you, Chance. You're a godsend." I smiled at her again, and left her room. Entering mine, I walked up to the desk, where the chessboard sat. I looked at my queen, hanging from the ceiling by a thread. Shaking my head I thought, 'How could I have lost it? Why did I have to make that mistake?' I turned my attention to the photo that was delivered last night, which lay upside down on the desk.

I gripped its side, and flipped it over. It was an old photo, in black and white, showing several ponies standing. But, as I examined it further, I noticed a small winged filly hiding behind the legs of a taller pony. The photo was torn, so I couldn't see the head of the filly.

I folded the photo and put it down on the desk. I reached up, grabbed the hanging queen, and pulled it off of the string. Setting it down on top of the folded photo, I moved my pawn to capture the piece that took my queen.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey.**

**A good amount of you, my fellow fanfiction inhabitants, have noticed that I have not written more for this story in a long time. This is because of two things. **

**First; I doubt anypony noticed, but I have written out three chapters of a new story, Wolfheart Zenith. The reason for this is because I wanted to have another, more action-imbued story, and because I got bored of writing this one, at least for the time being. **

**The second is that I lost my writing talent! I tried several times to get a chapter written, but each time was displeased with the result and threw it away. I gave up, for a short amount of time, until the guilt that I felt for leaving a story unfinished took over and allowed me to write this out.**

**I promise that more will be written soon, because I have already started the next chapter. As for Wolfheart Zenith, I will get back to that after three or so chapters of Eyes and Chessboards. I find it difficult to write just one story at a time, and that variety is useful. **

**Also, I somehow managed to write 10,000-word chapters for Wolfheart Zenith. I still don't know how I got the inspiration, but I haven't been able to do it again. Seriously, 3 chapters for that story are equal to fifteen of this one.**

**Lastly, I have a chapter half-written for Wolfheart Zenith, so there is a tiny chance that I will update that soon.**

**Enough stalling! Here's the chapter.**

* * *

By the time that I finished my two jobs, the sun had already surpassed the top of its arc and was beginning its descent. Applejack had arrived later than usual, but she did not tell me why, so I assumed that it was either personal or not worth mentioning. At Cheerilee's school, I gave the fillies and colts a lecture about deductive strategy, which was an important part of any game, but most of the class seemed less than interested. I had expected Scootaloo to enjoy my lesson, seeing as it was very relevant to chess, but she was also bored by the many examples and ideals that I described. It seems that Scootaloo was still, in heart at least, a pony that desired action instead of mental exercise. I figured that the part of chess that was the most appealing to her was probably the exciting rush of taking an opponent's important piece or knowing that you were beating them. Mulling over this, I decided that the next time we played I just might let her beat me, just to see how she would react.

Scootaloo was a very nice filly, and fiercely loyal to her friends. She was energetic, determined, and brave. Thinking about it more, I realized that if I had ever sired young, I would want them to be just like her. Her parents must be so proud.

I decided to put my musings to a halt, at least until I decided what to do next. Really, there were only two things that I could think of, and they were to either find Scootaloo and see if she was up for a game of chess, or go back home and see how Vinyl Scratch is doing.

Home. That word derailed my thoughts completely. To me, home was Earth; the planet on which I was born and raised. But these last two days made me falter more and more, until I could no longer think that with complete certainty. The ponies here were as much my friends as the people back on Earth, and unlike them, they had not abandoned me because of my problems. Maybe I was just doing a good job hiding them.

I was also able to be a much better person here. The ponies helped me, but I helped them more. Back on Earth, I was a sad excuse for a human being, feeding off of my friends' generosity just to stay alive. Here, I had not one but two jobs, and was actively contributing to the community.

And then there was Vinyl. The memories of last night still haunted me, but in an oddly comfortable way. I now knew that I had a duty of sorts to fulfill, which was to help Vinyl Scratch. Vinyl was eccentric, wild, and always had that adorable attitude about her. However, as last night showed, she also had a side of her that she was more hesitant to reveal, one that broke through its mental confines at my presence.

That was why I wanted to stay, I realized. No one had ever been so close to me, ever. My friends back home only revealed their most shallow sides, while Vinyl had shown me her true colors. To not consider her a true friend would be to betray her. I was more than willing to completely forget my old companions in favor of helping this poor mare overcome whatever emotional obstacles are stopping her.

But there was more than just Vinyl. The mysterious grey mailmare was also troubling me, and I was still determined to find her and try to make peace. I had distressed her, and saw that she was as fragile emotionally as Vinyl, if not more. She hid behind that yellow scarf, and I wanted to know why.

I had a true friend here. Back on Earth, there were only people who helped me out of pity. But here, I knew that I had somepony who I could confide all of my secrets in. I planned to do just that, actually. I would tell Vinyl Scratch about my life and who I really was. If she accepted the true me, then she was exactly the kind of understanding and kind friend whom I had always wanted to have. If not, then…

I really did not know what I would do if Vinyl did not accept me. What if she pushed me away, fearing me?

I quickly pushed the thought away. There was on chance of that happening. Vinyl would surely accept me, she had to. If she didn't, I would be right back where I started, but all alone. And there was no way that I could manage without somepony to help me.

Once again quelling the unnerving thoughts, I moved my attention to the path that I was trotting down, leading straight to the street on which I would find Vinyl Scratch's home. Trees grew on either side, and the chirping of birds was both calming and invigorating at the same time.

As I continued along the trail, the chirping of birds increased and increased, reaching a piercing crescendo before dropping again and beginning another build-up. It was almost as if an orchestra of the winged critters was being held all around me. I turned my head in all directions, trying to allow my pony ears to pinpoint the source of the wonderful music. Just as I thought I had it, though, I trotted directly into somepony, pushing them over with my powerful shoulder. I myself tipped over as well, not expecting the sudden resistance to give way with such ease. The other pony and I both wound up on the ground, I on my side and they on their rump.

I quickly pushed myself into a sitting position and was about to get up and apologize when I caught sight of whom I had just collided with.

A small, frail mare sat on her rump, her olive-yellow coat bristeling with shock and her hooves shaking at the unexpected contact. Soft, round eyes quivered behind a long, flowing pink mane that covered half of her face, like a beautiful pink veil. I could see her lips moving, but she did not make a sound. Two flimsy-looking wings were folded tightly against her sides.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry-I wasn't looking where I was going, I was just distracted and I should have been more focused and I-" I stammered, my face growing hot because of the awkward collision. I rose uneasily to my hooves, and offered the yellow mare a hoof to help her get up.

The Pegasus squirmed away shyly, and also stood up unsteadily. She gaped a few more times, trying to say something, but failed and curled up behind her mane even more.

'Goodness this mare is shy,' I thought. "Please, I'm really sorry I pushed you over, I didn't see where I was going." I continued apologizing. I could see the mare gather her wits, then hide behind her mane even more and spoke.

"N-no, please, It's my f-fault. I was just listening to the birds singing and I wasn't paying attention to the path, and please, please, please don't be mad." Her voice was soft and comforting, so much so that I felt my tension ease away. She was just so cute that I couldn't help but let a wave of heat roll over my face. Here I was, blushing in front of this adorably frail mare! To think that I had so rudely pushed her just moments before made me feel angry at myself.

"Nonsense, miss. I should have been watching the raod." The cute mare seemed a little less shy now, seeing that I was not acting rude or hostile towards her.

"N-no, it's all my fault. I had gotten used to being the o-only one on this p-path, and I-" I silenced her before she could finish, then felt a pang of guilt for having interrupted her.

"Excuse me, you said you were used to being the only pony to use this path?" She nodded.

"Then who is that?" I pointed behind her. The mare looked behind her shakily, and we both saw a figure dart into the bushes.

"Ohmygoodnesssomeponyiswatchi ngus," the pink-haired Pegasus blurted out quietly. Her eyes darted around nervously, before she swiftly trotted past me, mumbling, "I have to go now."

I paused a moment, confused, then turned towards her and called out.

"Wait miss! I didn't get your name!" But it was already too late, and she was out of sight. Cursing under my breath, I continued down the path. When I passed the bush that the pony watching us had jumped into, I heard rustling as the mysterious observer made their escape.

'I wonder why they were watching me and that mare,' I thought. Then, I realized something else. I had found that pony attractive! Until now, I had felt detached, like this was all just a phase and was going to pass soon. But the strange and unfamiliar feeling that I had experienced just moments before confirmed that I had begun to consider this strange new world my home. If given the chance to go back to Earth, I would refuse.

I had by now reached the street that Vinyl's home could be found on, and made a beeline towards her front door. As I stood on her porch, I noticed that the windows were open, but the shutters lay in such a way so as to prevent passerbys from looking in. I rapped my hoof on the door, and opened it. Inside, the first thing that caught my eye was Vinyl. She was sitting at her equipment, her hooves a flurry of motion as she manipulated controls and dials. Music trailed faintly from her headphones, which were perched on her head. I noted that her bodily motions were somewhat exaggerated when compared to the quiet electronic beat that I could barely hear.

Not wanting to disturb her, I sat down on the larger couch and moved over to the end closer to her. Here, I could hear the music that she was making more clearly.

'She's probably wearing those headphones so as to not disturb the neighbors,' I mused, and leaned my head back, draping my neck around the couch arm lazily. I lay like that for some ten or so minutes, before the music began to quiet down. Finally, Vinyl turned off her equipment and turned around in her chair, only to see me watching her, my head upside down.

"Hey."

Vinyl doubled back, then stomped her hoof on the wooden floorboards in frustration.

"Dammit Chance, why didn't you tell me you were home? And how long have you been watching me?" Vinyl demanded, looking down at me.

"I did tell you. You just couldn't hear me, what with that music you were making." I said simply, craning my head up to look her in the eyes, or where I assumed they were behind her shades. Then, I rolled over in place, so that I was lying on my belly.

"And I was watching you for ten or so minutes. You know, you look really silly when you are moving around like that, and only you can hear the music. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were having a seizure."

"Hmmph." Vinyl grunted, and took off her headphones. With one motion, she swept a hoof through her blue mane and got rid of the cast-like form it had made around the headphones. 'At least she's less tired now,' I thought.

"Anyway, I stopped by to see how you were doing. But as I can see, you're still hard at work, instead of relaxing." I criticized her. "You should be resting. This is your first day off in a long time, after all." Vinyl just scoffed, and rolled her head slightly. I could tell she was rolling her eyes at me.

"Whatever, _mom_."

I sighed. 'I think it's best to let Vinyl do whatever she wants right now, and not butt in. I know that if I had a day off, I would want to spend it however I liked.' Interestingly enough, I did not have much experience with 'days off'. Before I came to this pony-world, I didn't have a job, and now, I can't afford to take a day off. Unless of course I was still paid. But pressing financial issues aside, I decided to instead go upstairs and see how my chess game was going, and to check if my opponent had made their move.

I trotted up the stairs, and pushed my slightly ajar door fully open. I approached my desk. The chessboard had indeed changed; a pawn had moved. I looked over the various positions of pieces, and narrowed down the possible strategies my opponent may be using. Finding the best possible move, I pushed a piece of my own across the board.

Then, I noticed something stuck under the board. It looked like a piece of paper. I used my hoof to press down on its edge and drag it out.

It was a newspaper. 'CLOUDSDAILY' was the title. On the very front was an article about some sort of competition, one that had occurred a good month or so ago. I quickly scanned it, then noticed an interesting photo printed on the corner of it. It showed a depressed-looking mare with what appeared to be a multicolor mane being led somewhere, accompanied by two official-looking ponies. 'Contestant 15 drops out of flying competition, hometown shamed.' It was hard to read because the newspaper was worn, with mud caked to it. The smudged grayscale ink didn't help me see the details of the pony in the picture, either.

Confused, I put the newspaper down next to the torn photo I had received yesterday. Something weird was going on, and somepony was trying to push me in a direction with these clues. The only problem is, I don't know what to do next.

I think another nighttime walk is in order to clear my head.

* * *

**A big thanks to those of you who are still reading, your patience is what drives me to write. That, and reviews.**

**Seriously, I could not have found the motivation to write this if it had not been for the reviews telling me that you were waiting for more. Thank you very much, it is a really great feeling to know that you are enjoying this.**


	11. Chapter 11

Hey, I still exist!

But seriously, school just started, so I have been busy working out an effective writing schedule. Hence, the slight gap in my writing.

If some of you still remember, I mentioned in the first chapter that this was a self insert story. That still holds true. The main character, Chance, (Which is my actual first name; Ransom is not my last, though.) behaves as much as I do in real life as I can get him to. His backstory is also almost identical to my own, with the exception of my being aware of MLP:FIM. Also, I'm not unemployed, as of last September!

* * *

I stood by the open window, my front legs crossed on the windowsill. In the distance, the setting sun began to duck below the horizon, casting long shadows that were warped and distorted by the many rolling hills that lay beyond Ponyville. The day's spell was gone, and ponies were trailing back to their homes. Fillies and colts were called by their parents, and business-ponies rushed to meet their wives by dinner-time.

'It's so much different than Seattle,' I thought. 'Here, there's a real sense of community, as opposed to everyone feeling like prisoners in a concrete maze. Of course, there were some people who thrived in such a place, but I preferred the suburbs, were everything was calmer and your neighbors were like an extended family.' I sighed, reminiscing back on when I lived with my parents as a child.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of hoofsteps coming upstairs. I turned around, and saw Vinyl standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame. Her unkempt mane partially covered one lens of her purple shades.

"Hey. I'm not intruding on anything, am I?" She asked, almost sarcastically. I raised an eyebrow, but otherwise remained where I was. "Hey Vinyl. You ready to go back to work tomorrow?" Vinyl shrugged.

"I guess. I really just wish I could work in my own time, you know?" Now it was my turn to shrug. Vinyl and I both felt oddly comfortable here, in her home, where no one's opinions mattered but ours. It was almost like a cloud of apathy had been cast over us, and we just took each other's presence for granted.

"Also, you work like, what, two jobs? Don't you want some time off also? You should ask your bosses about that." I didn't respond, and instead turned around, so that I was still leaning on the windowsill, but facing Vinyl.

A thought crossed my mind. 'I still have to tell Vinyl who I really am! Should I wait some more, or should I tell her now, while she's right here?' I felt doubt and fear begin to set in, a result of the possibility that Vinyl might reject me. Vinyl tipped her head at me curiously, having picked up on bits and pieces of my thought process.

I looked away from Vinyl, and rubbed at my chin. The feeling of the rough stubble brushing against my hoof helped tie me to reality, and I used it as an anchor to help me focus on the task at hand. Vinyl began to sense more and more of my hesitation, and stepped forward.

"…Chance? Is something wrong?" I looked back towards Vinyl, and was surprised at how much emotion her face showed, even with her shades obscuring her eyes.

'This is it,' I thought to myself, and spoke.

"Vinyl, there's something I need to talk to you about." Vinyl arched both eyebrows.

"You… you are a pony, a unicorn. And I… I'm not."

"Well yeah, obviously." Vinyl responded smartly. I shifted nervously in place.

"No, I didn't mean that I'm not a unicorn, I meant that I'm not a pony. Or, well, wasn't a pony." This seemed to confuse Vinyl.

"What? What do you mean, 'not a pony'?"

"You see, I… A few weeks ago I appeared near Ponyville. Just… appeared. There was no explanation as to how I got here, or why. The only thing that I knew was that this wasn't my world, and that I was now a pony."

"What? What do you mean? You're not making sense!" Vinyl began to get frustrated and anxious. She encroached on me, and I shied away from her along the windowsill.

"Vinyl…" She stopped, and furrowed her brow at me. Everything was getting out of hand, and I needed her to hear me out before she began to think irrationally.

"I'm not a pony. I'm not from this world." Vinyl paused.

"Then… what ARE you?" It surprised me that she went along with it. Wether or not she truly believed me was debatable, but for now she was listening.

"I'm a human. Or, well, was a human."

"…and what is a human?"

"Humans are two-legged, furless animals. Similar to monkeys, but as advanced as ponies here." Honestly, I felt that I was spouting bullshit. If someone walked up to me a year ago and told me that they used to be a magical neon-coloured pony, I would have called them batshit insane. Vinyl was probably thinking the same thing now.

"Uh-huh." Vinyl muttered, seemingly unimpressed. I shook my head sadly. This was not going nearly as well as I had hoped.

"You don't believe me, do you?" Vinyl simply shrugged. "It's not that I don't believe you, I do, it's just that it doesn't really matter. Who cares if you were an alien from another world, or a dragon, or a griffon. There are plenty of ponies that used to be something else, but have changed form. I mean, I don't know any myself, but I've heard about them. What I'm trying to say is, I don't care what you were, or where you are from. You're a pony now, and that's all that matters."

Wait. What? She believes me? And more importantly, doesn't care? Apparantly, I made this out to be a much bigger deal than it really was.

God, I'll never understand this world.

"So…you don't care? That I'm not a pony?" Vinyl casually ran a hoof through her electric blue mane.

"Nah, it's cool. And I just said, I don't care that you weren't a pony, not that you aren't a pony. You are a pony, I can see that pretty clearly."

It felt like a weight had been lifted from my chest, and my lungs could finally expand unburdened. A rush of happiness flooded my thoughts, and I needed to release it all at once.

I wrapped my arms around Vinyl's neck, and pulled her into an embrace.

"Oh god thank you; thank you!" I squeezed Vinyl like a large pillow, almost like I was trying to physically combine our bodies into a single entity. I felt her fur against mine, like a blanket rubbing against my skin. I could feel her mane against my neck, and the beating of her heart through her chest. I didn't think about how intimate the physical contact might have been, I only cared that Vinyl understood how relieved and happy I was.

Just as the feeling had come, it passed, and I was left with my front legs around Vinyl. I was about to push off frantically and apologize, but something made me freeze.

Vinyl was hugging me back. Her hooves had found there way under mine, and around my sides. Her head was buried in my neck, and I could feel the smooth texture of her glasses against my shoulder. I hesitated, then softly shrugged her off.

"Err… sorry about that. I guess I was just happy that you didn't react poorly," I said, rubbing the back of my neck, embarrassed.

"No, don't be. It was… nice." Vinyl was flustered, and her red cheeks looked positively neon under her purple shades.

"So, you really believe me? That I'm an alien?" Vinyl shook her hoof, brushing my question away. "It doesn't matter. You're a pony now, and that's all that I care about." I smiled, satisfied.

Vinyl, who I noticed was now feeling somewhat melancholy, trotted up to the desk next to my bed, and looked at the chessboard.

"What's the deal with this? Are you playing against yourself, or what?"

"Err, I don't really know. Like, I'm playing against somepony, but I don't know who. It seems that my opponent makes their moves whenever I'm not around." Vinyl raised an eyebrow.

"Weird. Are you sure your chessboard isn't, like, enchanted or anything? Maybe it moves by itself?" I shook my head.

"Naw, I doubt it. How would it even become enchanted? I haven't really been around any of the magic you have here, other than you." I gestured to Vinyl's horn. Almost instinctively, Vinyl brushed a hoof through her mane, settling it.

Vinyl Scratch seemed a lot like the rebellious, bratty kids that hang out at skate parks and clubs, and sport crazy hairstyles and body piercings. The kind that I couldn't stand, because of their stupid "I'm invincible and never wrong" attitudes. But for some reason, Vinyl has a lot of depth to her, and manages to be unique and special while still conforming to that stereotype. Under other circumstances, I probably would not be able to stand her, but she had grown on me and I somehow manage to appreciate her for her attitude and personality.

"Sooo…" Vinyl said, interrupting my thoughts. She cantered over to my bed, and jumped on, so that she was lying on her stomach, facing me. "Where did you wander off to yesterday?" Vinyl propped her chin up on her elbows, which were crossed in front of her.

"I just took a walk, you know, to take some time and think." Vinyl tipped her head curiously at me.

"Think about what?"

"About my past life, I guess. That, and about some of the ponies I met here." Normally I wasn't really comfortable talking about my thoughts, but the melancholy mood that Vinyl and I shared made me feel at ease.

"Well, I actually came upstairs to tell you that dinner was ready. I guess we got carried away some, but we really should go eat. Before we starve to death, ideally." I snickered, amused by her near-sarcasm.

Vinyl hopped off of my bed and left my room. I followed behind, pausing only to glance at the indentation Vinyl had left in the silky blue blanket that covered my bed. It seemed like everything was so real, so physically tangible, that I had already accepted it all as normal. Two weeks ago, I would have thought I was in some sort of fantastic dream had I wound up here, but now I feel like this is all just a continuation of my past existence, not just a replacement.

I trotted down the narrow stairs, careful not to trip, and entered the kitchen. Two plates of vegetable stir-fry lay on opposite sides of the table, at one of which Vinyl sat, fork in hoof.

"Well hurry up then, I'm starving!" Vinyl said, impatient.

"You didn't have to wait for me." Vinyl scoffed, as if dismissing my statement as preposterous or silly. "I might be pretty brazen at times, but even I have some manners. Or do you take me to be some sort of savage who lives in the Everfree forest, and eats bugs and dirt?" I rolled my eyes, and sat down.

"I'm NOT saying grace, though."

* * *

A big thanks to everyone who reviewed, btw. You guys drive me to write more ponies.


End file.
